Credit

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Caption

Veil Nebula supernova remnant, optical image. The Veil Nebula (NGC 6960) was formed over 15,000 years ago by the explosive death of a massive star. This wisp of glowing gas is only part of the remnant, which forms a ring known as the Cygnus Loop. The bright star at centre is 52 Cygni. The remnant lies around 2500 light years from Earth in the constellation Cygnus. Image taken by the WIYN telescope at Kitt Peak, Arizona, USA. It was formed by combining 3 colour bands: ionised hydrogen (red), triply ionised oxygen (green) and doubly ionised sulphur (blue).